Electronic apparatus having a first radio, and a second low power radio for waking the first radio

ABSTRACT

An electronic apparatus used with a separate electronic device, and including: a first radio that wirelessly communicates with the electronic device at a first transmission power in a first power range according to a first wireless protocol; and a second radio that wirelessly communicates the electronic device at a second transmission power in a second power range, that is lower than the first power range, according to a second wireless protocol. The electronic apparatus includes a control circuit that determines whether the first radio is in a power-down state or a power-up state, determines whether a predetermined condition exists, powers-down the first radio when the predetermined condition exists, determines whether a predetermined message is received by the second radio, and powers-up the first radio when it is determined that the predetermined message is received while the first radio is in the power-down state.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/450,769 filed Jun. 24, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/865,438 filed on Sep. 25, 2015, now issued asU.S. Pat. No. 10,375,637 on Aug. 6, 2019, entitled “Electronic ApparatusHaving a First Radio, and a Second Low Power Radio for Waking the FirstRadio”, the contents of all of which are incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Electronics manufacturers, cable service providers, and multiple systemoperators (MSOs) strive to provide products that are energy efficient inorder to save money for customers and to meet governmental regulations.The voluntary Energy Star rating of the U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA) is an example of such a regulation. In order to earn anEnergy Star label, products are certified by a third-party organizationbased on testing in EPA-recognized laboratories.

A popular electronic apparatus in many homes is the so called “set-topbox” which houses electronic circuits that convert signals from an inputline into signals usable by consumer devices for displaying data andaudio/video media content such as television programing and movies. Thetypes of consumer devices being served by set-top boxes will become morevaried, including not only televisions, but computers, and portabledevices such as electronic tablets and smart phones. The input signalscan be provided by service providers including cable televisionproviders, satellite television providers, internet service providers,and multiple system operators. In addition to being provided in the selfcontained set-top box configuration, the electronics can be integrateddirectly into the consumer device, such as being built into atelevision. For ease of discussion, the set-top box configuration willbe referred to hereafter, but the invention is not intended to belimited only to set-top boxes.

To determine the most effective approach for power savings for a set-topbox it is necessary to analyze the allocation of power consumption bythe various functions provided by the apparatus. In addition to basiccable television functions and/or Internet Protocol Television (IPTV)functions, the set-top boxes disclosed herein may include computernetwork connectivity functions, including Local Area Network (LAN)interfaces, and Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) interfaces which usewireless signals, such as Wi-Fi or in-home LTE (Long Term Evolution)technology, or the like. Network interfaces are high power consumptionfeatures on a set-top box.

In order to achieve the maximum level of savings it has been found bythe inventors that it is necessary to power down all of the networkinterfaces of the set-top box. For ease of installation and maximizationof potential locations in the home, the set-top boxes disclosed hereinare not required to be connected to the home network via a wiredconnection, but rather may exclusively use a Wi-Fi connection. In thecase of such a Wi-Fi-only set-top box, to power down the networkinterface the Wi-Fi radio must be powered down. The radio on a Wi-Fionly set-top box is responsible for approximately 50% of the powerconsumption of the device. Typical power consumption of a Wi-Fi radiocan be anywhere between 2 and 3 watts, even in a receive-only mode, andhigher in a full transmission mode.

The set-top box can be put into a low power mode in which the Wi-Firadio and WLAN interface are powered down. A set-top box in such alow-power mode can be quickly brought back up to full operational modevia a user input, such as by a button being pushed on the set-top box bythe user. However such a manual operation is not suitable in manyinstances. For example, service providers typically perform remotemanagement operations, such as code downloads and software upgrades,during non-peak off hours, such as during the over night and earlymorning hours while most customers are asleep. For example, most set-topboxes are not in use during the period of time between 12:00 AM and 7:00AM.

Wake on LAN (WoL) is a networking operation that allows a networkconnected device to be turned on or awakened via a network message. Themessage is usually sent by another computer or device on the same localarea network. It is also possible to initiate the message from anothernetwork outside the local area network, such as by using subnet directedbroadcasts or by a WoL gateway service. When the device being awakenedis communicating via Wi-Fi, a supplementary standard called Wake onWireless LAN (WoWLAN) must be employed. However, Wake on LAN and Wake onWireless LAN require the radio to be marginally operational in order forthe feature to work. Therefore, relying on WoL and WoWLAN for waking aset-top box for service provider management operations would negateexpected power savings because the Wi-Fi radio would need to remain insome marginal operation state such as a receive only mode. Because ofthese drawbacks of existing technologies, there is a need to wake aWi-Fi-only set-top box while it is in a low power mode in which theWi-Fi radio is powered down.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present application discloses an electronic apparatus and method forsaving power use by the electronic apparatus.

The electronic apparatus is used with a separate electronic device, andincludes: a first wireless communication circuit that wirelesslycommunicates information with the electronic device at a firsttransmission power in a first power range according to a first wirelessprotocol; and a second wireless communication circuit that wirelesslycommunicates information with the electronic device at a secondtransmission power in a second power range, that is lower than the firstpower range, according to a second wireless protocol.

The electronic apparatus also includes a control circuit that controlsthe first and second wireless communication circuits, determines whetherthe first wireless communication circuit is in a power-down state or apower-up state, determines whether a predetermined condition exists,powers-down the first wireless communication circuit when thepredetermined condition exists, determines whether a predeterminedmessage is received by the second wireless communication circuit, andpowers-up the first communication circuit when it is determined that thepredetermined message is received via said second communication circuitwhile the first wireless communication circuit is in the power-downstate.

The predetermined condition can be that the electronic apparatus hasbeen in a non-use state for more than a predetermined period of time.The first protocol can be at least one of a Wi-Fi protocol or an LTEprotocol. The second protocol can be at least one of a Bluetoothprotocol or an RF4CE protocol. The first power range is, for example,greater than 100 mW and less than or equal to 1 Watt, and the secondpower range is, for example, 1-100 mW. The second transmission power canbe approximately 100 mW.

The control circuit can also be configured to send the predeterminedmessage via the second wireless communication circuit for instructingthe separate electronic device to power on a wireless communicationcircuit in the separate electronic device. In this way, the electronicapparatus can function as the gateway interface or master device andcontrol the powering up of another electronic client device or devices.

The method or algorithm for saving power in an electronic apparatusincludes determining, by a control circuit, whether a first wirelesscommunication circuit, that wirelessly communicates information at afirst transmission power in a first power range according to a firstwireless protocol, is in a power-down state or a power-up state;determining whether a predetermined condition exists; sending anelectronic signal to power-down the first wireless communication circuitwhen the predetermined condition exists; determining whether apredetermined message is received by a second wireless communicationcircuit, that wirelessly communicates information at a secondtransmission power in a second power range, that is lower than the firstpower range, according to a second wireless protocol; and sending anelectronic signal to power-up the first communication circuit when it isdetermined that the predetermined message is received via the secondcommunication circuit while the first wireless communication circuit isin the power-down state.

The method can also or alternatively include sending of thepredetermined message via the second wireless communication circuit forinstructing a separate electronic device to power on a wirelesscommunication circuit in the separate electronic device. In this way,the method can be implemented by an electronic apparatus functioning asthe gateway interface or master device and can control the powering upof another electronic client device or devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic apparatus according thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of an implementation of aplurality of electronic apparatuses according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of an algorithm implemented by the electronicapparatus for powering down and powering up the first radio;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of an algorithm implemented by the electronicapparatus as a gateway apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An electronic apparatus according to the present invention, e.g., aset-top box 1, is shown in FIG. 1 . The electronic apparatus includescircuitry by which the wireless network interface of the apparatus canbe remotely powered up from a power-down low-power consumption state.For ease of discussion, the electronic device will be explained in theconfiguration of a set-top box hereafter, but the invention is notintended to be limited only to set-top boxes and can alternatively beintegrated directly into a consumer device such as a television,computer, or any other consumer device, such as electronically equippedappliances.

The set-top box 1 includes bus lines 110 through which various circuitsare connected and communicate data with each other. A controller 12,which can be a dedicated control circuit, CPU, microprocessor, etc.,controls the circuits of the set-top box 1. RAM 13 can be provided as aworking memory for the controller 12, and a non-volatile memory 14 canbe provided for storage of program code, and user Audio/video contentand other data.

The set-top box 1 may include an input/output circuit 16, which caninclude one or more connectors, such as RF connectors or Ethernetconnectors. One of the connectors of the input/output circuit 16 can beconnected to a content provider, such as a multiple system operator(MSO), by terrestrial antenna, satellite dish, or wired cable. Throughthe input/output circuit 16, the set-top box 1 receives an input signal,including data and/or audio/video content, from the content provider andcan send data to the provider.

The set-top box can include a QAM/QPSK/etc. tuner 17 to select a desiredchannel from the input signal based on an input instruction by the usereither through a button or buttons on the set-top box, not shown, via aremote control, also not shown, or via a user device such as a computer,electronic tablet device, or mobile phone. The signal of the selectedchannel is decoded by the Audio-Video decoder 18. It should be notedthat the Wi-Fi receiver can also inject an Audio/Video stream into theAudio-Video decoder 18. The input/output circuit 16 can also include aconnector that is to be connected to the user's content playing device,such as a television, for displaying audio-video content received by theset-top box 1 and decoded by the audio/video decoder 18.

A first radio 15, (also referred to as a first wireless communicationcircuit or interface), such as a Wi-Fi WLAN interface radio transceiver,or an in-home LTE (Long Term Evolution) transceiver outputs the signalof the selected channel to a wireless user device. The wireless outputby the first radio 15 can be in place of or in addition to the wiredoutput by the Input/Output circuit 16. The set-top box 1 can output thesignals of respective selected channels to plural devicessimultaneously, and otherwise wirelessly communicate with the pluraldevices simultaneously.

In order to allow an installation of the electronic apparatus 1 in amanner in which no physical cable input is required, the input signalfrom the service provider can be received by a separate electronicdevice, such as a cable modem, or a different set-top box, and thesignal can be communicated to the set-top box 1 wirelessly via the firstradio 15. In such a scenario, the set-top box 1 could be providedwithout the input/output circuit. Also, the set-top box 1 can providethe content according to Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), in whichcan the tuner 17 may be omitted as well.

The first radio 15 also receives command and control messages, includingcode downloads and software updates, sent from the service provider.

The first radio 15 communicates via 2.4 GHz band with a bandwidth of 22MHz and a data rate up to 150 Mbit/s, or via the 5 GHz with a bandwidthof 20 MHz and a data rate up to 866.7 Mbit/s, or via 60 GHz band with abandwidth up to 2160 MHz and a data rate of up to 6.75 Gbit/s. The firstradio 15 has a transmission power suitable to communicate within thedesired range for the particular application. Therefore the powerconsumption of the radio transceiver depends on the intended applicationand desired range. For example, for a typical home application, thetransmission power of the first radio 15 is 1 watt, in which case thepower consumption is approximately between 2 and 3 watts. However,transmission power can be higher depending on the necessary range for agiven application.

In addition to the first radio 15, the electronic apparatus 1 is alsoequipped with another, low power, second radio 19, (also referred to asa second wireless communication circuit or interface), for exchangingdata over short distances in a frequency range of 2400-2483.5 MHz. Thesecond radio 19 can maintain simultaneous wireless connections withplural devices, consumes substantially less power than the first radio15, and has a lower data rate and data throughput than the first radio15. For example the second radio 15 can be a radio meeting a Bluetoothprotocol, IEEE802.11 protocol, a Radio Frequency For ConsumerElectronics (RF4CE) protocol, zigbee protocol, and/or IEEE802.15.4protocol.

The second radio 19 can maintain plural simultaneous connections, forexample seven simultaneous connections. The second radio 19 can be aclass-one transmitter with a transmission power in a range of greaterthan 1 mW and less than or equal to 2.5 mW, or a class-two transmitterwith a transmission power in a range of greater than 2.5 mW and lessthan or equal to 100 mW. For example, the transmission power can be 2.5mW which gives the second radio 19 a range of approximately 30 feet. Asanother example, the transmission power can be 100 mW which gives thesecond radio 19 a range of approximately 300 feet. With such ranges, thesecond radio can connect to all other wireless devices in an averagesized home.

The second radio 19 has a lower data rate than the first radio 15. Forexample, the second radio 19 can have a data rate in the range of 1Mbit/s to 24 Mbit/s inclusive. However, the second radio 19 is capableof sending and receiving command and control messages even with itslower data rate.

Plural electronic apparatuses of the same or different types may be insome location, such as a home, apartment building, hotel, office. Forexample, in such an environment, a first electronic apparatus may be inthe form of a set-top box 1 as shown in FIG. 1 , or can alternatively bea modem, or electronic device in an appliance, and scaled to includeselect components shown in FIG. 1 as needed depending on the applicationof the particular apparatus. Likewise, a second electronic apparatus canbe also be configured as a set-top box 1, or electronic device in anappliance, and scaled to include select components shown in FIG. 1 asneeded depending on the application of the particular apparatus. Theplural electronic apparatuses are in communication with one another andcan also be in communication with other electronic apparatuses. One ormore of the plural electronic apparatuses functions as a gatewayapparatus to provide one or more access points to the internet.

An example of such a plural electronic apparatus configuration in alocation is shown in FIG. 2 in which a plurality of electronicapparatuses, including a first electronic apparatus 20 is incommunication with a second electronic apparatus 21 having its own firstradio and second radio. Like reference numerals denote like parts. Theelectronic apparatuses 20 and 21 are connected to a WLAN via theirrespective first radios 15. The second electronic apparatus 21 serves asthe gateway of the WLAN to the service provider. The second electronicapparatus 21 can be identical to the set-top box 1, or can be adifferent type apparatus such as a cable modem, which may includecircuits shown in FIG. 1 , such as the input/output circuit whileomitting others as need be. The first electronic apparatus 20 is aclient device of the second electronic apparatus 21.

In the present example, the first electronic apparatus 20 is a set-topbox that is not connected by cable to the provider, and therefore may beconfigured to omit the input/output circuit 16, but communicates withthe provider through its first radio 15 via the second electronicapparatus 21. The first electronic apparatus can be configured to omitthe tuner 13, and provide service using IPTV methods.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the controller 12 of the first electronic apparatus20 controls the components of the first electronic apparatus 20 toimplement different modes of operation, including a power-up state, anda power saving mode, also referred to as a power-down state. In stepS31, the electronic apparatus is functioning and is in the power-upmode. When in the power-up mode, in step S32 the controller 12 of thefirst electronic apparatus 20 monitors for the existence of apredetermined state. While the predetermined state does not occur, thecontroller 12 keeps the electronic apparatus in the power-up state. Whenthe controller 12 of the first electronic apparatus 20 determines thatthe predetermined state exists in step S32, the controller 12 powersdown the first radio 15 of the first electronic apparatus 20. Thepredetermined state could be, for example, the elapsing of apredetermined amount of time of non-use of the first electronicapparatus 20. The controller determines such a non-use by detecting alack of activity or particular activity by the first radio 15 or thecontroller 12. Once the non-use condition has existed for thepredetermined amount of time, the controller 12 sends an instructionthrough the bus 110 to power down the first radio 15 of the firstelectronic apparatus 20.

Service providers, including MSOs, tend to perform network maintenanceand/or code downloads during the early morning hours. During such hoursit is likely that the first electronic apparatus 20 will be in thepower-down state where the first radio 15 is powered down. In such acondition the first electronic apparatus 20 cannot receive command andcontrol messages from the service provider. With prior art devices, sucha situation would require some user input, such as the user pressing abutton on the set-top box or remote control, in order to wake theapparatus. However, the first electronic apparatus 20 includes thesecond radio 19, which is a lower-power radio than first radio 15.

The second radio 19, (e.g., Bluetooth, or RF4CE), maintains a commandand control data connection between the first electronic apparatus 20and the second electronic apparatus 21. The second electronic apparatus21 functions as the gateway in the present example and maintainscommunication with the service provider, e.g., via a DOCSIS (Data OverCable Service Interface Specification) connection.

In the low power state, the low power second radio 19 of firstelectronic apparatus 20 remains powered up, while the relatively higherpower first radio 15 is powered down. While in the power-down state, thecontroller 12 of the first electronic apparatus 20 is still able todetermine if a signal is received by the low power radio 19 of the firstelectronic apparatus 20. In step S34 of FIG. 3 , the controller 12monitors whether a signal is received by the second radio 19 of theelectronic apparatus 19. If no such signal is received, the controllermaintains the first electronic apparatus 20 in the power-down state.When a command/control message, such as a code download, is sent to bythe service provider and addressed to the first electronic apparatus 20,the message is actually received by the gateway second electronicapparatus 21 via the connection with the service provider, (e.g., viaDOCSIS). As shown in FIG. 4 , step S41, the controller 12 of the secondelectronic apparatus 21 stores in its memory 13 or 14 informationindicating that the first electronic apparatus 20 (and any other clientdevices served by the gateway second electronic apparatus 21), is in thelow power mode. In step S42, the second electronic apparatus 21 receivesa command/control message addressed to first electronic apparatus 20 (aclient device) and in step S43 the controller 12 of the secondelectronic apparatus 21 determines whether the first electronicapparatus 20 is in the power-down mode by referring to the informationstored in the memory 13 of 14. If the controller 12 determines that thefirst electronic apparatus is not in the power-down mode, then in stepS44 the controller 12 of the second electronic apparatus 21 sends themessage received via the input/output circuit 16 to the first electronicapparatus using the first radio 15 of the second electronic apparatus21.

If in step S43 the controller 12 determines that the first electronicapparatus is in the power-down mode, then in step S45 the controller 12of the second electronic apparatus 21 sends a signal using its low powersecond radio 19 to the second radio 19 of the first electronic apparatus20 with an instruction to power up the first radio 15 of the firstelectronic apparatus 20.

When in step S34 in FIG. 3 , the controller 12 of the first electronicapparatus 20 determines that a signal has been received by its secondradio 19, the controller 12 of the first electronic apparatus 20 in stepS35 sends a signal through bus 110 to power up its first radio 15. Instep S36 and step S46, the controllers 12 of the first and secondelectronic apparatuses 20 and 21 establish communication via their firstradios 15. The controller 12 of the second electronic apparatus 21 thenproceeds to send the received message to the first electronic apparatususing its first radio 15 (step S44). The received command/controlmessage, including for example a code download, is communicated from theservice provider, to the first electronic apparatus 20 through the pathof input/output circuit 16 of the second electronic apparatus 21, firstradio 15 of the second electronic apparatus 21, and first radio 15 ofthe first electronic apparatus 20. The controller 12 of the firstelectronic apparatus 20 executes appropriate programs to implement thecommand/control message based on the information received from theservice provider.

As mentioned above, various components shown in FIG. 1 can be includedor omitted in each of the plural electronic apparatuses. For example,the first electronic device 20 can be a set-top box configured to omitthe input/output circuit and the tuner, in which case the set-top boxwould be of a wireless only IPTV configuration with no wired connectionto the gateway apparatus, such as a modem or other set-top box, and nowired connection to the user display device, such as a mobile phone ornotebook device. In such a case, all content and data is communicatedwirelessly via the first and second radios. Alternatively, componentssuch as the tuner and input/output circuit can be retained, but theirfunctions not utilized in a wireless only IPTV implementation.

The present invention provides power saving by enabling powering down ofthe first relatively high power radio, and remote powering up of thefirst radio by communication using a second, lower power, radio.

The present invention can be implemented not only as an apparatus orapparatuses, but also as a method including the steps conducted by theelectronic devices as discussed above, which methods as discussed aboveconstitute examples of algorithms. The invention can also be implementedas a program on a non-transitory computer-readable medium for causing acomputer, such as a processor in an electronic apparatus, to executesuch steps. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium couldbe, for example, a CD-ROM, DVD, Blu-ray disc, or an electronic memorydevice.

The present invention may be implemented as any combination of a system,a method, an integrated circuit, and a computer program on anon-transitory computer readable recording medium.

The control circuit and any other parts of the electronic apparatusesmay be implemented as Integrated Circuits (IC), Application-SpecificIntegrated Circuits (ASIC), or Large Scale Integrated circuits (LSI),system LSI, super LSI, or ultra LSI components which perform a part orall of the functions of the electronic apparatuses, such as set-topboxes. Each of the parts of the present invention can be implementedusing many single-function components, or can be one componentintegrated using the technologies described above. The circuits may alsobe implemented as a specifically programmed general purpose processor,CPU, a specialized microprocessor such as Digital Signal Processor thatcan be directed by program instructions on a memory, a FieldProgrammable Gate Array (FPGA) that can be programmed aftermanufacturing, or a reconfigurable processor. Some or all of thefunctions may be implemented by such a processor while some or all ofthe functions may be implemented by circuitry in any of the formsdiscussed above.

The present invention may be a non-transitory computer-readablerecording medium having recorded thereon a program embodying themethods/algorithms discussed above for instructing a processor toperform the methods/algorithms.

Each of the elements of the present invention may be configured byimplementing dedicated hardware or a software program on a memorycontrolling a processor to perform the functions of any of thecomponents or combinations thereof. Any of the components may beimplemented as a CPU or other processor reading and executing a softwareprogram from a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductormemory.

The sequence of the steps included in the above described algorithms isexemplary, and algorithms having a sequence other than the abovedescribed sequences are contemplated. Moreover, steps, or parts of thealgorithm, may be implemented simultaneously or in parallel.

The components of the present invention can be in the form of a set-topbox box as in the exemplary embodiments disclosed above, or in otherstandalone devices, or may be incorporated in a television or othercontent playing apparatus, or other device or appliance, and the scopeof the present invention is not intended to be limited on such forms.

It is also contemplated that the implementation of the components of thepresent invention can be done with any newly arising technology that mayreplace any of the above implementation technologies.

We claim:
 1. A first electronic apparatus in communication with a secondelectronic apparatus, the first electronic apparatus comprising: a firstradio, wherein the first radio is associated with a first powerconsumption, and wherein the first radio connects the first electronicapparatus to a wireless network; a second radio, wherein the secondradio is associated with a second power consumption that is less thanthe first power consumption, and wherein the second radio remainspowered up when the first radio is powered down; a first controller,wherein the first controller monitors for an existence of apredetermined condition associated with the first electronic apparatus,and wherein the first controller powers down the first radio when thepredetermined condition exists; and wherein the first controller powersup the first radio when the second radio receives an instruction fromthe second electronic apparatus to power up the first radio when thefirst radio is not in the power up mode and wherein the predeterminedcondition comprises any of an amount of time of non-use of the firstelectronic apparatus, a lack of activity by the first radio, aparticular activity by the first radio, or a combination thereof.
 2. Thefirst electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first controllerdetermines that the instruction is received by the second radio when thefirst radio is not in the power up mode.
 3. The first electronicapparatus of claim 1, wherein the instruction is based on a messageaddressed to the first electronic apparatus that is received by thesecond electronic apparatus.
 4. The first electronic apparatus of claim1, wherein, after the first radio is powered up based on theinstruction, the first controller and a second controller of the secondelectronic apparatus establish a communication path via the first radioand a third radio of the second electronic apparatus, and wherein thefirst controller receives a message from the second controller via thecommunication path.
 5. The first electronic apparatus of claim 1,wherein the wireless network is a wireless local area network (WLAN). 6.The first electronic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second radio hasa transmission power less than or equal to 2.5 milliwatts (mW).
 7. Amethod for providing power saving in a wireless network by a firstelectronic apparatus in communication with a second electronicapparatus, the method comprising: monitoring by the first electronicapparatus for a predetermined condition associated with the firstelectronic apparatus, wherein the first electronic apparatus comprises afirst radio associated with a first power consumption and a second radioassociated with a second power consumption that is less than the firstpower consumption; powering down the first radio based on thepredetermined condition; receiving, by the second radio, an instructionfrom the second electronic apparatus to power up the first radio;wherein the predetermined condition comprises any of an amount of timeof non-use of the first electronic apparatus, a lack of activity by thefirst radio, a particular activity by the first radio, or a combinationthereof and powering up the first radio based on the instruction.
 8. Themethod of claim 7, wherein the instruction is based on a messageaddressed to the first electronic apparatus that is received by thesecond electronic apparatus.
 9. The method of claim 7, wherein theinstruction is based on the predetermined condition associated with thefirst electronic apparatus stored in a memory of the second electronicapparatus.
 10. The method of claim 7, further comprising: after poweringup the first radio based on the instruction, establishing acommunication path via the first radio and a third radio of the secondelectronic apparatus, wherein a message is received from the secondelectronic apparatus via the communication path.
 11. The method of claim7, wherein the wireless network is a wireless local area network (WLAN).12. The method of claim 7, wherein the second radio has a transmissionpower less than or equal to 2.5 milliwatts (mW).
 13. A non-transitorycomputer readable medium of a first electronic apparatus storing one ormore instructions for providing power saving in a network by the firstelectronic apparatus, that when executed by a processor, cause theprocessor to perform one or more operations comprising: monitoring bythe first electronic apparatus for a predetermined condition, whereinthe first electronic apparatus comprises a first radio associated with afirst power consumption and a second radio associated with a secondpower consumption that is less than the first power consumption;powering down the first radio based on the predetermined condition;wherein the predetermined condition comprises any of an amount of timeof non-use of the first electronic apparatus, a lack of activity by thefirst radio, a particular activity by the first radio, or a combinationthereof; receiving, by the second radio, an instruction from the secondelectronic apparatus to power up the first radio; and powering up thefirst radio based on the instruction.
 14. The non-transitory computerreadable medium of claim 13, wherein the instruction is based on amessage addressed to the first electronic apparatus that is received bythe second electronic apparatus.
 15. The non-transitory computerreadable medium of claim 13, wherein the instruction is based on thepredetermined condition associated with the first electronic apparatusstored in a memory of the second electronic apparatus.
 16. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the one ormore instructions when executed by the processor, further cause theprocessor to perform one or more operations further comprising: afterpowering up the first radio based on the instruction, establishing acommunication path via the first radio and a third radio of the secondelectronic apparatus, wherein a message is received from the secondelectronic apparatus via the communication path.
 17. The non-transitorycomputer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the second radio has atransmission power less than or equal to 2.5 milliwatts (mW).